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Tylenol Use in Pregnancy May Be Linked With Uterus, Ovary Changes in Daughters
Female reproductive organ development may be impacted by a mother’s use during pregnancy of Tylenol or its generic versions, according to researchers who emphasize that their study does not prove the pain medicine is to blame and does not indicate any effect on future fertility. Whether the differences observed in the Danish study of infants have implications for fertility later in life and age at menopause will require long-term follow-up, study leader Margit Bistrup Fischer of Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen said in a statement.
Women who during pregnancy used the medicine, typically sold generically as paracetamol in Europe, should not be alarmed by the findings, Fischer said. The generic version of Tylenol sold in the U.S. is acetaminophen.
Kenvue, which owns the Tylenol brand name product, in an emailed statement advised pregnant or breastfeeding women to check with a health professional before using acetaminophen, which the company says is the most studied and safest pain reliever during pregnancy. It noted that the study has methodology limitations and does not support a causal relationship between the drug and postnatal reproductive development. Kenvue shares were off more than 3%.
Florida Doctors Ask State for Hearing on New Proposed Vaccine Rule
Florida physicians want a formal hearing on the DeSantis administration’s latest effort to weaken vaccine requirements for Florida schoolchildren. The Florida Chapter of the American College of Physicians on Wednesday sent notice to the Department of Health requesting a rule hearing on a proposal to make it easier for parents to opt out of vaccinating their school-aged children.
“The Chapter requests that the Department take note of its interest in this issue and to accept this correspondence as part of the official record,” Jacksonville health care attorney Christopher Nuland wrote to the DOH on behalf of the association and its 10,000 members.
“Numerous scientifically vetted studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of these immunizations, while the Chapter is unaware of any substantial competent evidence that would indicate otherwise.”
Kennedy Names New Drug, Vaccine Chiefs to Lead FDA
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. announced appointments for four top leaders overseeing vaccine approvals, new drug approvals, artificial intelligence (AI) innovations, and tobacco policy at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Sept. 8 as the agency advances its health and wellness reforms.
“We are building an FDA that moves faster, demands excellence, and delivers results for the American people,” Kennedy said in a statement. “These leaders will drive reforms needed to confront our nation’s most serious health challenges and strengthen American leadership in medical innovation.”
International biopharmaceutical executive Karim Mikhail will lead the FDA’s vaccine and other biological products development after stepping into the position at the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research as acting director in May.
Weight Regain After Obesity Drugs Tied to Higher Odds of Suicidal Thoughts in Observational Study
Adults who reported using prescription weight-loss medication in the last year had higher rates of depression, mental-health counseling, suicidal thoughts and suicide-related behaviors compared to people who did not take the drugs, according to an observational study.
The research, conducted at Asan Medical Center in South Korea, analyzed data from 27,741 adults (10,908 men and 16,833 women). Of these participants, 846 had been taking prescription medications for weight control during the previous year, while 26,895 did not take them.
The weight-loss drug users were 1.9 times more likely to experience depression and twice as likely to seek mental health counseling. They were also 2.7 times more likely to have suicidal thoughts and 1.7 times more likely to make a suicide attempt.
Study Suggests AI-Generated Drug Could Slow Aging
An AI-generated drug showed early signs of potentially slowing aging, according to a new study out today in Nature Biotechnology, possibly taking the first small step towards using AI to cure all the diseases tech companies keep talking about.
The new study centers on rentosertib, a drug from Insilico Medicine, an AI drug discovery and development company. From the onset, Insilico said it created rentosertib with the aim of both treating patients suffering chronic lung disease and extending their lifespan. In the study, the company showed that its drug managed to successfully reduce some of the biological markers of age, as measured by aging clocks, in a small set of patients.
